DALLAS: LAST SEASON: 24-58, missed playoffs.
COACH: Rick Carlisle (11th season, 17th NBA season).
PROJECTED STARTING FIVE: G Dennis Smith Jr. (15.2 ppg), G Wesley Matthews (12.7 ppg), F Harrison Barnes (18.9 ppg), F Luka Doncic (rookie), C DeAndre Jordan (12.0 ppg)
KEY LOSSES: G Yogi Ferrell, F Doug McDermott
KEY ADDITIONS: Doncic, Jordan
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Doncic, the third overall pick, is set to be the second straight teenager to start on opening night for the Mavericks, following Smith. The former Euroleague MVP is also expected to contribute right away, perhaps even more than Smith did in a solid rookie season. Jordan's rebounding is a component the Mavericks have lacked. They needed it badly enough that they happily welcomed the player who infamously agreed to join Dallas join three years only to change his mind before he could sign. That saga led to a two-year rebuilding job the Mavericks hope is over.
OUTLOOK: Carlisle is tired of losing coming off consecutive sub-.500 seasons for the first time in his 16-year COACHing career. If Doncic makes the transition from Europe fairly smoothly and Smith continues to improve, the Mavericks should have a shot at a winning record. The playoffs might be a stretch, but it says something that Dirk Nowitzki is set to come off the bench for the first time since he was a rookie 20 years ago. The 40-year-old is gearing up for his 21st season with the same franchise, a record, but looks iffy for the opener because of lingering issues from ankle surgery at the end of last season.

HOUSTON: LAST SEASON: 65-17, lost in Western Conference finals.
COACH: Mike D'Antoni (fourth season, 15th NBA season).
PROJECTED STARTING FIVE: G James Harden (30.4 ppg), G Chris Paul (18.6 ppg), F P.J. Tucker, (6.1 ppg), F James Ennis (7.1 ppg), C Clint Capela (13.9 ppg).
KEY LOSSES: F Trevor Ariza, F Ryan Anderson, F Luc Mbah a Moute
KEY ADDITIONS: F Carmelo Anthony, Ennis, G Michael Carter-Williams
PLAYERS TO WATCH: A year after Anthony was not amenable to coming off the bench in Oklahoma City, the 10-time All-Star seems ready to accept a reserve role in Houston if it means helping the Rockets to a title. The addition of the talented Anthony, along with Ennis to pick up the slack on defense Houston lost in Ariza leaves the Rockets slightly better than they were a year ago when they lost to Golden State in the conference finals.
OUTLOOK: Harden, last year's MVP, and Paul should be even better in their second year together and Anthony adds a new dimension which greatly upgrades Houston's second unit. Ennis will have to pair with Tucker to provide a defensive presence and Capela must take another step this season after signing a $90 million contract this offseason if the Rockets hope to finally get past the Warriors and win their first title since back-to-back championships in 1994-95.

PREVIEW

Rockets to face Mavs looking for improved defense

Try as they might, the Houston Rockets have failed to replicate the defensive prowess that secured their run to the best record in the league last season and to Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Whether due to injuries or roster construction, the results haven't been the same.

The inability to fashion even a league-average defense continues to undermine all the Rockets (32-23) are aiming to accomplish. There have been flashes of defensive improvement, but for the most part, Houston has struggled to defend consistently enough to support its second-ranked offense and the historic season guard James Harden is burnishing on a nightly basis.

"We've got to be consistent for four quarters," Harden said after a defensive collapse in the third greased the skids to a 117-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. "It's pretty simple."

When the Rockets play host the Dallas Mavericks (26-29) on Monday at Toyota Center in their penultimate contest before the scheduled All-Star break, they will continue in earnest their pursuit of that elusive consistency.

Houston limited Oklahoma City to 75 combined points in the first, second, and fourth periods. The Thunder posted a whopping 42 points in the third, though, to erase what was once a 26-point deficit and reclaim momentum entering the fourth quarter.

Wild variances of defensive effort have come to identify the Rockets this season. After finishing seventh in defensive rating last season at 105.5 points allowed per 100 possessions, the Rockets are 25th this season (112.0). Since Jan. 1, Houston is a modest 11-8 and its leaky defense (113.8 rating) is directly attributed to its inability to build a winning streak and propel up the standings.

"We get Clint (Capela) back (after the break) and the defense was really good in the first half," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We've just got to continue that, and we'll build on this."

The Mavericks, with an eye seemingly on the future following their recent acquisition of injured New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis, won for the third time in four games this month after limiting the Portland Trail Blazers to nine points in the fourth quarter of a 102-101 victory on Sunday.

Forward Luka Doncic, the unquestioned frontrunner for rookie-of-the-year honors, scored 13 of his 28 points in the fourth while also contributing nine rebounds and six assists.

Tim Hardaway Jr., one of the newcomers acquired alongside Porzingis, chipped in 24 points for Dallas.

The Mavericks appear ill-suited to seriously pursue a postseason berth, yet they seem disinclined to punt on this season. Doncic is capable of keeping them in almost every contest, and it was his flurry of baskets down the stretch of Dallas' previous meeting with the Rockets that yielded a comeback victory.

The Mavericks are 2-0 against Houston this season and one victory shy of claiming the season series despite the difference of the teams in the standings.

Still, the challenge of winning in Houston in the second game of a back-to-back reverberates.

"It's the Western Conference," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's another tough set of matchups coming at you 100 miles an hour."